KKAA Newsletter #40 (March 29, 2024) See in English 日本語で見る

#40 June 1, 2021


Professor Yoshichika Uchida who was a dear mentor of mine passed away on May 3rd at the age of 96. I still can’t believe it since he was in such good health when I talked with him when I gave my last lecture at the University of Tokyo two years ago, and he also gave a long lecture while standing.

If you are interested in what I learned from Professor Uchida, or the role that the Uchida Laboratory played in architectural education, please read “Kuma no Ne” (Roots of Kuma) (University of Tokyo Press, First Edition May 17, 2021) in which I compiled my final lectures.

Professor Uchida was both a leader of Japanese architecture and the process of industrialization in postwar Japan, and one of its foremost critics. Professor Uchida was the source of the power that led to Japan becoming the world leader of the standardization of architecture and prefabrication. However, at the same time, Professor Uchida continued to sound alarm bells with specific activities about distance being put between architecture and people by industrialization, and the danger posed by the creation of inhuman and impersonal cities.

In the latter part of his life, Professor Uchida served as a leader of the revival of traditional Japanese wooden architecture. I first encountered Professor Uchida at a lecture on architecture in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo in 1973. I was 18 years old at the time, Professor Uchida was 47, and I think this may have been a time for him when a transition was about to take place. The year 1973 was the time when Japan went through a transition from a period of low growth to a period of high growth. I think that I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet Professor Uchida. In 1973, he predetermined the direction that my life would take in subsequent years.

Kengo Kuma © Onebeat Breakzenya

ProjectsTokorozawa Sakura Town Kadokawa Culture MuseumThis multipurpose complex located in Tokorozawa on the Musashino plateau created by the collision of four crustal plates which is unprecedented anywhere else in the world mixes and integrates a digital printing factory, new type of computer-controlled distribution warehouse, offices, art gallery, library, museum, anime-themed hotel and anime culture in an organic and cross-sectoral manner.Twenty thousand 70mm thick black and white granite slabs were used to build the Kadokawa Culture Museum which appears like it thrust up and through the Musashino plateau. The granite slabs have a rough finish, with the adjoining sections not aligned so that the convex and concave surfaces match which is normally done, giving the appearance that each piece of stone broke through the surface of the earth independently, achieving a feeling of lightness and making it feel like the structure is floating.The huge interior space was designed as a futuristic labyrinth, transcending conventional binary opposition by effectively mixing high culture like contemporary art and low culture like anime. Book shelves that resemble haze in the sky were built with structural plywood, creating a structure of that looks like cells in a brain, providing a three dimensional connection between various genre and objects.Large stone seats were provided in attempt to achieve harmony in the production and office wing with the rough surface of the stone, and an aluminum expanded metal fence with large openings surrounds the Musashino Reiwa Jinja Shrine where a wave style and traditional gables coexist. Decorative architectural elements which represent female and male gods were juxtaposed and mixed in an effort to create a new venue suited to the age of the coronavirus that far exceeds a traditional regional cultural facility. Read More
ProjectsThe Tokyo Edition Toranomon“Creating an intimate space like a forest” was our aim of this project, which was realized with the abundant use of natural materials where guests could nestle into in comfort. We used different finishing materials – oak, walnut, washi and limestone – for each space, and created a simple and refined space as a whole that could celebrate the first arrival of The Edition in Japan. Ian Schrager, the Art Director of the hotel, is a legendary figure who produced venues such as Studio 54 and Palladium, which are said to have brought about a drastic change into New York’s nightlife. We discussed the future of Tokyo in the 21st century over and over, and the hotel was born as a result of it like a warm and fine living room, which had not existed in Tokyo before. Read More
ProjectsRenewal for the 10th anniversary of The Opposite HouseA renewal design for the 10th anniversary of The Opposite House - a hotel in Beijing designed initially by KKAA. The renovation’s primary purpose was to relocate and optimize the position of the lobby, and we created a stone counter of a minimal expression with an origami-like backlight wall elevation made of Tyvek sheet. We paid attention to the particle size as a unit and the durability for this origami by incorporating a special plastic backing. The motif of origami is also applied for curtains and lightings. The work is based on the idea of integrating soft materials such as fabrics and paper with hard objects of architecture by softening the hard-edged architecture and giving a slight sharpness to delicate fabrics. Read More
ProjectsTaketa Castle Town PlazaThis community center in the middle of Taketa is designed using burnt cedar and bamboo. With its central location, it functions as a node for the walking network in this castle town. The building is designed as an outdoor stage, facing a square. The proscenium, which is a three-dimensional assembly of bamboo, not only serves as a backdrop for events, but also symbolizes the new character of Taketa, where modernity and history exist in harmony. Read More